The Petrified Forest United States of America

Experience one of the world’s largest and most vibrantly colored assemblies of petrified wood, historic structures and archeological sites at Petrified Forest National Park. More than 200 million years ago, flourishing trees and vegetation covered much of this area of Northeastern Arizona. But volcanic lava destroyed the forest, and the remains were embedded into sediment comprised of volcanic ash and water. Erosion set the logs free millions of years later, revealing the petrified wood – made mostly of quartz – that Arizona visitors gather to see.